Powerful Online Activity – PR vs marketing? Do we really know?

Public relations (PR) is about growing the name of the company and strengthening its perception / relationship with the public or target audience. In fact, one definition for PR is “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.”

PR is earned. You have convinced media reporters or newspaper editors to write a positive story about you or your brand. Yes, your story is more credible because it has been verified by a third-party. But doesn’t social media fulfil a similar role?

The old adage is that the “P” and the “R” in public relations stand for performance and recognition. Good relationships are genuine. But we can build those relationships in an online space as well.

Marketing on the other hand gets specific – looking to educate and add value to customers, clients, and partners. Marketing, however, is “the activities and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.”

It has been said that: “Marketing and Advertising is what you pay for whereas PR and publicity is what you pray for.”

We understand that both PR and Marketing are valuable however, public relations (PR) is often not strong enough to stand alone. Often a positive perception is generally not enough to measurably increase your company’s sales. Perhaps, public relations could be better considered as an integral part of your company’s marketing strategy?

PR vs. marketing? Do we really know?

Along comes the online world… A world of websites, online marketing, social media, new sales funnels and SEO.

Where does paid and owned media fit into this evolving question of PR vs Marketing? Let’s take a closer look.

Paid media – Marketing. Examples include print, radio and television advertising. Depending on the organisation, paid media can play a major role in your marketing campaign strategy and can consume most of a marketing budget. But in an online marketing world, you could refocus on Google Adwords or Social Media advertising and your budget may well extend much further.Owned media – Examples include websites, blogs and Facebook profiles. Whilst I’d even question if Facebook is an owned media I’ve included it within this category. (See blog Post). It is still unestablished as to whether marketing or PR holds the key to this evolving online owned media kingdom.

There is so much overlap in the tools and tactics available for use in online PR and Internet marketing. The real key is in the way each tool or tactic is used in those different capacities. The way each tool or tactic is used to reach different audiences for different reasons.

“We understand that Online Marketing and PR can be an awesome, low-cost solution for making more people aware of your brand or website but, it requires a lot of effort and hard-work. There are no shortcuts. Do we stop whilst we address the PR vs. Marketing question? I think not. Digital marketing allows you to become an authority, it builds trust and credibility and yes it is a very powerful funnelling mechanism in this new online age.” Cathy Mellett – Net Branding®

Be Seen, Be Heard, Be Found Online™.

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As a full-service Auckland online marketing company, we offer an integrated digital marketing solution to our clients. These digital services start with your digital strategy, embrace SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), social media marketing, website development and search engine marketing. Our service includes your online advertising via Google Adwords, Display Advertising, and Remarketing. Your custom social media marketing targets your current clients and connects you to your future clients or consumers – no matter where they are. Email marketing services are available and we have a few tricks up our sleeves to save time. We totally understand that regular online content can sometimes be difficult to create when you are focused on the day to day operations of your business. The digital experts at Net Branding create and share unique engaging content. This is secured into a trusted and reliable Content Management System (CMS). Our web development experts are able to assist with the designed and development of your business website. And whilst our digital services focused on your unique business, we have strong social ties to the local community.

We support these charities with our monthly digital offering. We believe that giving back to help, builds stronger communities and this is important for our future generations.

As digital marketing experts, we understand how important it is to be visible online. Net Branding prides itself on the professional services it delivers and online results it achieves for its clients. Based on our extensive experience and industry best practice, various tools, techniques, and assessments are used to ensure we maximise the online opportunities for our clients on a monthly basis. Be where your customers are looking. Be Seen, Be Heard, Be Found Online™.